Hue is a quiet town of about 400,000 whose residents go to bed earlier than in Hanoi---thus the "quiet" label. (Since the last national census was taken nearly 20 years ago, one can only guess at population figures.) The area was dominated by the Champa People who migrated to Viet Nam nearly 2,000 years ago and settled in central Viet Nam in the 8th century. Their skin is darker and eyes rounder than the Vietnamese. There aren't many Champas left, but we did meet this handsome musician at the My Son Sanctuary near Hui An.
The must-see attraction in Hue is The Citadel, the second World Heritage Site on our tour. It was begun in 1802 and served as Vietnam's capital until 1945. It was originally surrounded by a a twenty foot thick wall that was nearly five miles long. The interior section, which housed the emperor and his wives, is similar to China's Forbidden City. An elephant giving rides to tourists in one of the gardens along with the remnants of buildings decorated with mosaics, reminds visitors of the feudal splendor that was once Viet Nam's.
We took a group photo in front of the Holy Lady Pagoda, built in 1601. A bit later we encountered a young couple in traditional dress who will be married March 1st. Today was their date with the photographer. Little did they know they'd have sixteen other photographers snapping away. Aren't they a beautiful couple?
The highlight of Hue, though, was our visit to the Duc Son Orphanage. We had all contributed money to buy enough rice to last three days for the 198 residents, and we looked forward to delivering it personally. The Orphanage was started nearly 20 years ago by Thich Nu Minh Tu, a Buddhist nun shown above left, to help abandoned children and those with disabilities. Since 1987 the Duc Son Pagoda has adopted 191 children. Today the children range in age from a few months to 18 years old. We were impressed by the facilities - the cleanliness, space and resources available for the children. But mostly, we were impressed by the children. Young girls were playing with the babies, older children helped the younger and those not helping with their "brothers and sisters" were involved in projects for the Orphanage. Quite a few were still at school when we visited (6 p.m.) and would return after their classes. Amazingly, we didn't hear any child crying or fussing.
As we toured the home, one of our group - Giovanni - felt a small hand placed in his. The child, who wasn't more than two-years-old, held onto his newly adopted grandfather for the rest of the tour. Giovanni acted as he must with his own grandchildren --- as if it were the most natural thing in the world for the two to be together. At one point he showed him his movie camera, and the little guy was fascinated by the moving pictures. He even tried to work the camera himself, learning quickly which buttons to push. It was hard for us to leave--- and as for Giovanni? Well, his grandchildren are really lucky.
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